Saturday, June 5, 2010

My friend Ray Martin loves, loves, loves dirt under her nails and it shows in the beauty of her garden. But with just as much passion she hates that young women in Bangkok are lured into the humiliating profession of prostitution in order to survive. How can a woman in Jacksonville help change all of that?

Once a year Ray opens her gardens to visitors and she lets it be known that donations to "The International Foundation" (run by her friend Bonita) will be accepted.

There are watercolor artists painting away, Master Gardeners on hand to answer questions,

cookies, lemonade, and cuttings from plants.

And of course Ray is there outshining all of the blossoms.

My word for this year is "Leverage". I am striving to leverage all of the blessings in our life to make a difference in this old mean world. Ray is a perfect example of how that is done.

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep joy and world's deep regret -- meet."